Well, this is common in economies where the fallout from the end of "job for life" is being artificially contained, either by rigid tradition or by government legislation. In France, for example, once you have a permanent job, you're set for life, but the flipside is these jobs are hard to come by (it's a big risk for a company to hire someone it can never fire) so people who haven't got one and do want to work (rather than live on the dole) have no choice but temping and short-term contracts.
In the UK and US economies, it's easier to get fired, but it's also easier to get hired, so this phenomenon is less pronounced. People temp and contract here as a lifestyle choice, not because that's all on offer.
Well, this is common in economies where the fallout from the end of "job for life" is being artificially contained, either by rigid tradition or by government legislation. In France, for example, once you have a permanent job, you're set for life, but the flipside is these jobs are hard to come by (it's a big risk for a company to hire someone it can never fire) so people who haven't got one and do want to work (rather than live on the dole) have no choice but temping and short-term contracts.
In the UK and US economies, it's easier to get fired, but it's also easier to get hired, so this phenomenon is less pronounced. People temp and contract here as a lifestyle choice, not because that's all on offer.